Western Iranian languagesThe Western Iranian languages or Western Iranic languages are a branch of the Iranian languages, attested from the time of Old Persian (6th century BC) and Median. The languages belonging to this branch are widely spoken across a vast geographical area stretching to Anatolia in the west, the Caucasus in the north, southern Iran in the south and Tajikistan in the east. The most widely spoken Western Iranian language is Persian, which is a pluricentric language.
Zaza languageZaza (endonym: Zazakî, Dimlî, Dimilkî, Kirmanckî, Kirdkî, Zonê ma, lit.'Our language'), also known by its endonym Zazaki, is an Iranic language or group of languages belonging to the Northwestern Iranian branch and spoken in various regions of Turkey by the Zaza people.
KurdsIranic ethnic groupEthnic groupKurds (Kurdish: کورد, romanized: Kurd), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kurdistan, which is a geographic region spanning southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syria.
Turkish KurdistanTurkish Kurdistan or Northern Kurdistan (Kurdish: Bakurê Kurdistanê) is the southeastern part of Turkey where Kurds form the predominant ethnic group. The Kurdish Institute of Paris estimates that there are 20 million Kurds living in Turkey, the majority of them in the southeast.
Iraqi KurdistanKurdish-inhabited region in IraqMap of the approximate Kurdish-populated region of Iraq, in dark red the federal region of Iraqi KurdistanIraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan (Kurdish: باشووری کوردستان, romanized: Başûrê Kurdistanê) refers to the Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq.
Syrian KurdistanSyrian Kurdistan, also called Western Kurdistan or Rojava (from Kurdish: Rojavayê Kurdistanê, lit.'Kurdistan where the sun sets'), is a region in northern Syria where Kurds form the majority. It geographically surrounds three noncontiguous enclaves along the Turkish and Iraqi borders: Afrin in the northwest, Kobani in the north, and Jazira in the northeast.
KurdistanKurdistan (Kurdish: کوردستان, lit.'land of the Kurds'; ), or Greater Kurdistan, is a roughly defined geo-cultural region and stateless nation in West Asia wherein the Kurds form a prominent majority population and the Kurdish culture, languages, and national identity have historically been based. Geographically, Kurdistan roughly encompasses the northwestern Zagros and the eastern Taurus mountain ranges.
Iranian KurdistanIranian Kurdistan and Eastern Kurdistan (Kurdish: ڕۆژھەڵاتی کوردستان, romanized: Rojhilatê Kurdistanê), also called Rojhelat, are unofficial names for the parts of northwestern Iran with either a majority or sizable population of Kurds. Geographically, it includes the provinces of West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, Kermanshah, and parts of the provinces of Ilam, Hamadan and Lorestan.
Variety (linguistics)In linguistics, a variety, also known as a lect or an isolect, is a specific form of a language or language cluster. This may include languages, dialects, registers, styles, or other forms of language, as well as a standard variety.
Dialect continuumA dialect continuum or dialect chain is a series of language varieties spoken across some geographical area such that neighboring varieties are mutually intelligible, but the differences accumulate over distance so that widely separated varieties may not be. This is a typical occurrence with widely spread languages and language families around the world, when these languages did not spread recently.
ArmeniaArmenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east, and Iran and the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan to the south. Yerevan is the capital, largest city and financial center. The Armenian highlands have been home to the Hayasa-Azzi, Shupria, and Nairi peoples.
AzerbaijanAzerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a transcontinentallandlocked country at the boundary of Western Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia's republic of Dagestan to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Turkey (via the exclave of Nakhchivan) and Armenia to the west, and Iran to the south. Baku is the capital and largest city.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.